Killeverything's (New)NeverEndingBaseballThread

[Machado]

It was well known that Cashman did not want Santana, but wanted to develop Hughes and Kennedy and that Hank wanted Santana. He deferred and he will never do so again.

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[JakeYonkel]

Do either of you have Comcast? I do and my tv listings do NOT tell me
which programs are airing.
Instead I have a generic MLB BASEBALL listings, with no specific programs or length of program.

Plus, my Channel is in SD, not HD

I am on DirecTV (for now) so I get a full listing. If you can't get it straightened out and there's something you want to see, let me know and I will tell you when it's on.

FTR, Hot Stone is on every night at 7 and then that same episode seems to play on and off all night and the following day. But the new ones are on at 7, every day but Sunday.

[Sabu]

I'll give Burnett three starts before he tells everyone his arm fell off.

Fixed

[killeverything]

s for my Yankees, I am looking forward to this season for many reasons.
Our free agent signings were huge and we expect great things from them all.
If tomorrow was opening day, I would envision this batting order:
Damon LF
Jeter SS
Tex 1B
A-Rod 3B
Matsui DH
Nady RF
Posada C
Cano 2B
Melky or Gardner CF

I agree that defense wins. Tex is an upgrade over Giambi. That much is certain. CF will be fine because both of those players have speed and Melky had approx 11 assists last year.
The infield will have to play a lot better defense this year and that goes for Jeter as well.

Hughes was on the right path in '07. He pitched a gem that night in texas, until his hamstring gave way. Since then he has been unable to regain that form and velocity. I hope he can return to that form and help this team win, if we call upon him.
Our rotation could look like this:

CC
Burnett
Wang
Hughes
Joba

Of course Hughes could be replaced by Pettitte is he signs,

Number one. I'm not sure if Posada is ready, or ever will be again able to go back to catching. That creates a jam with Matsui and the DH, because it would surprise me if Posada can't hit anymore.

Number two. Cano I think will be the "sleeper" this season. A "diamond in the rough" so to speak. He seems to have just had bad luck in 2008. Given his tHR being right in line with previous years, with his high LD rate we should expect a power bounce back. HIs BABIP should recover too, especially if he hit 2nd in the lineup.

Number 3. Slotting Burnett above Wang is insane. Wang was injured on 6/15 for the season. He was 8-2 93IP 54SO 4.17RA 4.07ERA 3.81FiP before that. I would put him as #1, even over 1-3 8.74ERA in the post-season CC. Wang still gets 58% GB per plate apperance, with a 77% out rate. Only giving up a run on grounders 0.03 of the time. Ace.

Number 4. Expecting Burnett to make a lot of starts is kinda like expecting 25 out of Hughes or Kennedy last season.

[Machado]

Based on your attraction to the Person Above Me thread, I know your not used to people expressing their opinions, but just saying random shit about nothing.

However, if you do not know these facts, you should learn it or just the fuck up.

Take it easy it. Some people here get riled up with a quickness.

Your mentioned the Yankees passing on the santana trade.
Who cares about that right now?
Way to go out on a limb and 2nd guess what move.

You win some and you lose some.
At the time, the Yankees decided against giving up 2 very young pitchers in return for santana.
An arguement could be made for making the trade and not.
Hughes and Kennedy are still very, very young. No telling what will happen.

[Machado]

s for my Yankees, I am looking forward to this season for many reasons.
Our free agent signings were huge and we expect great things from them all.
If tomorrow was opening day, I would envision this batting order:
Damon LF
Jeter SS
Tex 1B
A-Rod 3B
Matsui DH
Nady RF
Posada C
Cano 2B
Melky or Gardner CF

I agree that defense wins. Tex is an upgrade over Giambi. That much is certain. CF will be fine because both of those players have speed and Melky had approx 11 assists last year.
The infield will have to play a lot better defense this year and that goes for Jeter as well.

Hughes was on the right path in '07. He pitched a gem that night in texas, until his hamstring gave way. Since then he has been unable to regain that form and velocity. I hope he can return to that form and help this team win, if we call upon him.
Our rotation could look like this:

CC
Burnett
Wang
Hughes
Joba

Of course Hughes could be replaced by Pettitte is he signs,

Number one. I'm not sure if Posada is ready, or ever will be again able to go back to catching. That creates a jam with Matsui and the DH, because it would surprise me if Posada can't hit anymore.

Number two. Cano I think will be the "sleeper" this season. A "diamond in the rough" so to speak. He seems to have just had bad luck in 2008. Given his tHR being right in line with previous years, with his high LD rate we should expect a power bounce back. HIs BABIP should recover too, especially if he hit 2nd in the lineup.

Number 3. Slotting Burnett above Wang is insane. Wang was injured on 6/15 for the season. He was 8-2 93IP 54SO 4.17RA 4.07ERA 3.81FiP before that. I would put him as #1, even over 1-3 8.74ERA in the post-season CC. Wang still gets 58% GB per plate apperance, with a 77% out rate. Only giving up a run on grounders 0.03 of the time. Ace.

Number 4. Expecting Burnett to make a lot of starts is kinda like expecting 25 out of Hughes or Kennedy last season.

You are correct about Posada. I am only assuming he will be catching this year. That question will be answered soon enough. If he is unable to throw again, then yes, it creates a problem with the DH slot. Not the type of problem a manager would welcome.

Can has the ability to be a great everyday player. He is still learning and I liked what I saw during the final weeks of the season at the plate. He hit the ball much better.

Sure it's possible to have Wang 2nd and Burnett 3rd. But have him as the #1 starter, I'm not sure if that is a great move.

[Machado]

In all honesty, I am not second guessing the move. I was for it at the time.

The chances of Hughes being as good as Santana was remote. It was Cashman trying to show he could make some moves without the accessibility to a Brinks truck.

And what you forget, is that Hughes was always on the radar, for a very long time. No one had even heard of Kennedy until last year.

The chances of finding one stud is unusual. But three? Joba/Kennedy/Hughes coming up on one team? When was the last time that fucking happened?

I have no clue if that ever happened. Maybe it was the a's from the early 80's, when Billy was managing?

You are correct, Kennedy appeared on the radar when he pitched so well in Sept of '07. I think his ERA was in the high 1's or very low 2's. His performance that month opened up a lot of eyes.
The Yankees imagined him as being another Moose. Based on the pitches he threw.

Of course the odds that Hughes will be as great as santana are remote. The point was, keeping 2 very young pitchers based on what they might give the team for many years.

[killeverything]

I'll give Burnett three starts before he tells everyone his arm fell off.

Fixed

That arm works well enough to sign & cash his checks...

I wonder if they will start making the checks out to AJ "Pavano" Burnett?

Fuck. Better hope it is. AJ is not a guy in that rotation I want to be facing all year. He pitched 221.3 last season and led the AL with 231 Strikeouts. The Toronto games I watched he made the AL competition look stupid. I don't think we can expect 34GS this season, but the ones he starts he should be good.....just not better than Wang.

Oh and Itjogs, the last time 3 studs came up was Atlanta. The greatest 1-2-3 of all time. Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz.

[killeverything]

But when was the last time the Yankees did something like that? And when they did, they passed on as much as a sure thing as possible.

I mean this is the team that traded for Randy Johnson for christ's sake. Now they won't do it for the best pitcher in the game? And now one year later, they're back to the old business model.

It was a huge fuck up.

I see your point. I believe it was Cashman who wanted to get away from the big contracts. If they did trade for Santana and still missed the Playoffs ( just hypothetical ), they would have still dished out 400m in contracts.

More of the same. For that I blame Tampa.

Maddux was an established star that came up with the Cubs and batted his eyes at the Yankees before going to the braves as a free agent..

So I'll give you two. And that is rare in itself to pan out over years.

Oh shit. Your right. My bad. Forgot about that.

[Machado]

The Yankees were not the only team that wanted the guy. Based on his stats last year, several teams wanted him.
In '08 he made 34 starts: Prior to that he made 32 starts in '05 and 29 starts in '02.

[Machado]

If the team/front office was trying to shy away from BIG $$ contracts, then they made their decision based on that.
Instead of giving santana mucho dollars, the team wanted to see what
the kids could do.

Damned if you do and damned if you don't.

What's the point of 2nd guessing a move that was completed approx 2 yrs ago?

[Machado]

Its not second guessing. Its second guessing when you agreed with it. Many people disagreed with it.

The point that this goes back to however is that Cashman/Tampa/whomever has been terrible in determining effective pitching for The Yankees. And I think AJ Burnett is a perfect way to keep the legacy alive. He only beats the Yankees. And those types of moves never work. And now he's going to beat them some more.

Why play all 162 games in '09 since you seem to have it
all figured out

[Machado]

Its not second guessing. Its second guessing when you agreed with it. Many people disagreed with it.

The point that this goes back to however is that Cashman/Tampa/whomever has been terrible in determining effective pitching for The Yankees. And I think AJ Burnett is a perfect way to keep the legacy alive. He only beats the Yankees. And those types of moves never work. And now he's going to beat them some more.

Why play all 162 games in '09 since you seem to have it
all figured out

OK Machado. Let's have some fun.

I'm going on record as saying I'd rather have Dave Dravecky's arm than AJ Burnett's.

I bet you he will not win 10 games this year. Just a friendly "told you so" wager.

You had to drag dravecky's name into this huh? Poor guy. What has he done to you?

I will take that friendly wager. When Burnett reaches his 11th win, I will be the one to type "told you so".

We can take this one step further. I'll go on record as saying that
Burnett will get more wins as a starter this year than penny for
the red sox.

[killeverything]

Alright. WE HAVE TO REMEMBER this.

I hope that Burnett doesn't have more wins than Penny, although I think he will.

[Machado]

Posada update: Personally, if playing for the PR team helps him prepare for the MLB season, then more power to him.

Jorge Posada's hopes of playing for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic may be dashed by the Yankees, who would prefer to have the catcher physically prepared for Opening Day.
The 37-year-old Posada is currently on a throwing program in Tampa, Fla., rehabilitating the right shoulder strain that cost him most of last season. Posada underwent surgery July 30 and the Yankees are counting on him as their starting backstop next season.

"I am sure he would love to play [in the World Baseball Classic], but he is currently rehabbing from surgery and would not be ready," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said.

Reports out of Puerto Rico indicated that Posada has started training for the tournament, concurrent with his rehab to prepare for the Yankees' season.

In a Spanish-language interview with Primera Hora, Posada said that he is especially motivated to get into the tournament since he may no longer be an active player for the next one in 2012.

"This will be my last chance to play for Puerto Rico, and I'm very clear on that," Posada said. "For that reason, I'll do anything possible to be 100 percent, because it is a dream of mine to wear that uniform."

Posada estimated that his recovery from the July 30 surgery is at "75 percent," though he is batting and throwing without problems.

Posada's father, Jorge Sr., told The Associated Press that his son has already signed a participation agreement for the Classic.

"He feels fine and wants to play for Puerto Rico," Posada Sr. reportedly said.

The interest, it would seem, is mutual. In an e-mail to MLB.com, Lou Melendez -- the general manager of Puerto Rico's Classic team -- wrote: "I would love to have Posada on Team PR. I am waiting to learn his status because of insurance issues."

Posada only started a throwing program on Dec. 8, which all reports have indicated is progressing fine. He could potentially serve as a designated hitter for Puerto Rico -- Posada was able to hit but not throw during extended stretches for the Yankees last season, before he was placed on the disabled list for the first time in his career.

But with the Yankees importing a pair of top-flight starters in CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett this offseason, the importance of Posada's presence to help guide the pitching staff would give the Yankees an easy reason to nix his Classic participation.

"Obviously, he's very important to this club," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said recently. "We need him. I'm encouraged right now. ... You can talk about playing three out of four [games] or four out of five, but I think early on the important thing is that we don't abuse him, and allow him to continue to gain strength in that shoulder. I plan on him being our everyday catcher."

Yankees media relations director Jason Zillo also confirmed that Posada will not play in the tournament. The only Yankees currently slated to play in the Classic are Derek Jeter, who will represent the United States, and Alex Rodriguez, who will switch teams and play for the Dominican Republic.

While Mariano Rivera will not be ready to represent Panama after having surgery to remove a calcified AC joint in his pitching shoulder, Johnny Damon and Joba Chamberlain are also among those who have expressed interest in playing for the United States.

The switch-hitting Posada was limited to 51 games last season, batting .268 with three home runs and 22 RBIs in the first year of a four-year, $52.4 million deal.

[killeverything]

Jim Rice and Rickey Henderson do David Letterman's Top 10 List.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSRptJ8fj-Q

[Facedown]

Youk signs 4yr/41.1mil deal with Sox plus club option.

[Machado]

How about this andrew jones situation? ESPN reported last night the dodgers are on the verge of releasing the guy.
He's only 32, but his production has dropped off so much.
His power was only able to hit 3 HR's last year. Talk about a dramatic
change.

I wonder why his production has fallen so much, so quickly.

[killeverything]

The change in Ortiz from Minnesota to Boston, comes from his swing. Gardehire wanted him to be a line-drive, base hit hitter. He had to doctor his swing to do that. When he was DFA the Red Sox FO knew that he could demolish Fenway, if he was allowed to swing for the fences....plus hitting in front of Manny Ramirez is going to help anyone "see" pitches.

I never heard that Steinbrenner wanted him. Ortiz was a guy that flew under the radar. In fact I recall Steinbrenner publicly lambasting Cashman for not seeing what kind of player Ortiz was when he was released. Oh well.

I fucking hate the fact that he wants to compete in the WBC. That will destroy his whole season. Just like "I'm in the best shape of my life" Mo Vaughn. I like how Boston is constructed so far this upcoming season. Losing Papi to wrist or fat, would completely de-rail it.

Fuck the WBC.

[killeverything]

How about this andrew jones situation? ESPN reported last night the dodgers are on the verge of releasing the guy.
He's only 32, but his production has dropped off so much.
His power was only able to hit 3 HR's last year. Talk about a dramatic
change.

I wonder why his production has fallen so much, so quickly.

Moving to a pitchers park and weight issues. He's a big boy now.

[Punk]

Boston signed Youk to a 4 year $40 million extension. That's a relative bargain, all things considered.

[killeverything]

The change in Ortiz from Minnesota to Boston, comes from his swing. Gardehire wanted him to be a line-drive, base hit hitter. He had to doctor his swing to do that. When he was DFA the Red Sox FO knew that he could demolish Fenway, if he was allowed to swing for the fences....plus hitting in front of Manny Ramirez is going to help anyone "see" pitches.

I never heard that Steinbrenner wanted him. Ortiz was a guy that flew under the radar. In fact I recall Steinbrenner publicly lambasting Cashman for not seeing what kind of player Ortiz was when he was released. Oh well.

I fucking hate the fact that he wants to compete in the WBC. That will destroy his whole season. Just like "I'm in the best shape of my life" Mo Vaughn. I like how Boston is constructed so far this upcoming season. Losing Papi to wrist or fat, would completely de-rail it.

Fuck the WBC.

I heard Cashman recount the situation. Steinbrenner asked him about Ortiz and Cashman said "We have a first basemen" ie Johnson. Who ended up being traded for Vasquz who ended up being traded for Johnson who ended up sucking shit.

Really? I thought that Steinbrenner went after him for not seeing what kind of hitter he was. Maybe Steinbrenner saw it, and Cash disagreed. I only heard the first part. Hmmm, learn something new everyday.

Boston signed Youk to a 4 year $40 million extension. That's a relative bargain, all things considered.

Yeah, I heard that yesterday. The FO is trying to lock up all the young guys. They're talking to Bay right now reportably. The tricky one is going to be Pappelbon. I don't doubt that Paps wants to stay in Boston. He does want to be paid like Rivera though. He is an elite closer, no one argues that, but he wants the $$$$$.

The problem is he only has a 3 year resume. While he is the new generation. The FO never goes a lot of years on a pitcher. 2010 is Beckett's last. I could see this ending badly. If Pappelbon hits FA, even in this financial market. I could see him getting a huge contract. With the "honor" or whatever of playing for the team, a lot of guys accept lower salaries to stay. This won't be the case in this one.

[Machado]

The WBC seems to cause a lot of chaos for certain teams.

The Yankees are NOT encouraging Posada to compete in the WBC and
now we have a situation with ortiz.

C'mon ortiz, don't let those chowder-heads dictate when and where you play. Go ahead and expend energy in the WBC. I would welcome that!

[JakeYonkel]

Teams are not allowed to prohibit players from participating in the WBC, but if they finished last year on the DL I believe the team can prevent them from playing, if I read correctly. I know Posada wants to play but I think it may be a moot point.

[killeverything]

Teams are not allowed to prohibit players from participating in the WBC, but if they finished last year on the DL I believe the team can prevent them from playing, if I read correctly. I know Posada wants to play but I think it may be a moot point.

I'm not sure how it works. I know that in MLB player's contracts, the player is supposed to refrain from activities that could injure themselves. Aaron Boone's pick-up basketball game where he tore his ACL, Jeff Kent's motorcycle accident.

I don't think teams could fully prohibit players from participating, especially since Bud Selig champions the WBC. I know they can express dismay. The MFY's spring training complex for the first one rings a bell. I think where it's going to get difficult is foreign born players and their loyalty to their countries, Team USA will probably have more of a problem with Major League players not playing, than say DR or Venezuala ( sp? ), etc.

[WhiteHouseSubsAC]

Cole Hamels 3 yr/20.5 million dollar extension.

[Punk]

Bargain

[killeverything]

That's a massive fucking bargain!

On MLB Tv they're talking about how a lot of players are signing one year deals. Ones who aren't the Sabbathias or Teixeras, to wait for the market to get better and file for Free Agency then.

This is a three year deal, for a pitcher that easily falls into the Sabbathia/Teix catagory. At 20m? Someone wants to stay in Philly and defend his crown. I think the K-Rod statements of "The Mets are the team to beat" pissed him off. No they're not. Philly is.

[JakeYonkel]

I don't know how much of a bargain it really is. The 3 year extension is really just buying out his arbitration years, he's still hitting free agency when he would have - the Phillies are just hedging themselves and locking in $20.5M when the next 3 years he could be worth more in arbitration (or, unlikely, less).

It'd be a bargain if they were grabbing a year or two of free agency, but I honestly don't think Philly is saving tons of money here. Maybe $5M.

[killeverything]

I don't know how much of a bargain it really is. The 3 year extension is really just buying out his arbitration years, he's still hitting free agency when he would have - the Phillies are just hedging themselves and locking in $20.5M when the next 3 years he could be worth more in arbitration (or, unlikely, less).

It'd be a bargain if they were grabbing a year or two of free agency, but I honestly don't think Philly is saving tons of money here. Maybe $5M.

But by doing it now they save money and position themselves better for locking him up for the next one. If they had waited a year or so he most likely would have wanted twice the money for avoiding arbitration.

Totally.

Plus, this also could come off as a "saving face" or a respectful gesture. It's the team saying "we want you here for a long time. We'll make sure your paid for that duration." I think that the players wouldn't feel "disrespected" seeing the FO try to make that gesture before they technically have to.

It makes me think of the Tek' situation. Tek had to request to talk with Henry face to face without Boras. This comes off as a crawling back measure to me. Declined team options, now there is no market.

With Philly and Hammels it seems that they want to avoid at all costs of him declining or testing the FA waters. Since he has age on his side right now, and not neccesarily an overly violent delivery. He's safe to lock up, or as safe as any pitcher to lock into a long-term deal. This is Philadelphia playing it smart. Not unlike Howard last season ( ? ).

*edit*

The fucking MLB Network rules! Right now I'm watching game 1 of the 2007 WS. I didn't get to see game 1, because I was working. I just got to listen to it on XM. This is fucking great. I haven't bought the 2007 DVD set, because it was pretty un-eventful. It's cool to see it.